The U.S.-China Cooperation Program in Science Policy, Research, and Education is a decade-long initiative, which started in 1999.  It is built on the experience gained from more than thirty years of cooperation between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China in science and engineering.  The productive, long-standing relationship between the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States (and the NSF Tokyo Regional Office in Japan) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is a cornerstone of this cooperation.

The Program utilizes a variety of science and policy events as a basis for expanded bilateral and multilateral science policy cooperation.  These serve as a foundation for strengthened partnerships in specific areas of science and engineering.  Its activities include a series of science policy seminars, forums, and related events conducted since 1999.  They explore issues with significant implications for the vitality of science and engineering in the emerging, global, borderless, knowledge-based economy.

Previous Events & Publications

China-U.S. Forum on Science and Technology Policy
Oct. 15-17, 2006
Beijing, China

A China-U.S. Science and Technology Policy Forum was held in Beijing, People's Republic of China, on October 15-17, 2006.  The Forum was held in conjunction with the 12th China-U.S. Joint Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2006.

Forum participants included policy-level government officials, scientists, engineers, and policy scholars from both the United States and China with extensive experience in U.S.-China science and technology relations.  The principal objective of the Forum was to explore issues important to the future China-U.S. science and technology relationship. This includes exploring issues (both scientific and policy issues) facing the U.S. and China that are likely to have significant implications for science and technology in the 21st century or are greatly impacted by advances in science and engineering. These issues, taken together, serve to define the boundary conditions for the U.S.-China science and technology relationship as we traverse the globalized world of the 21st century.

See the full proceedings and an agenda for the Forum. You can view each section of the proceedings and access Power Point presentations by clicking on highlighted titles of presentations in the agenda.

R&D Policies Related to Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases
Dec. 14-16, 2005
Boston, Massachusetts

Participants in this Trilateral Seminar included key scientists and policy makers from China, Korea, and the United States. They considered better ways to coordinate R&D and integrate R&D into policies affecting efforts to combat infectious diseases. Opportunities for international collaboration in the formulaion and implementation of effective policies were emphasized. Themes and issues under consideration included:

• National and international institutional structures to deal with emerging infectious diseases, including past successes, failures and lessons learned.
• Opportunities/limitations to common international agenda setting.
• Expediting the generation of new scientific knowledge and its translation into technlogical capacity and action.
• Science policies, including research, training and education.
• Accountability and transparency; security vs. openness.

(See more...)

Sino-U.S. Forum on Basic Science for the Next Fifteen Years
February 16-17, 2004
Beijing, China

• Proceedings of the Sino-US Forum on Basic Science for the Next Fifteen Years

A Bilateral Forum on Basic Science for the Next Fifteen Years was held on February 16-17, 2004, in Beijing.  This forum was the first in a series aimed at better understanding of Chinese and U.S. science and technology policies: past, present and future.  The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) supported this seminar. (See more...)

A Trilateral Seminar on Science, Society and the Internet was held December 14-16, 2003, at the East-West Center at the campus of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.  There was participation by a Japanese delegation along with delegations from the U.S. and China.  The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) joined the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) in supporting this seminar. (See more...)

The fifth event in the decade-long series was the China-U.S. Seminar on Engineering Education for a Global Economy, held October 20-24, 2002, in Shanghai and Beijing. Its theme addressed changing demands for engineering education in the global knowledge-based economy. Underlying the selection of this theme was the assumption that a deeper understanding of and appreciation for differing perspectives and approaches to associated issues will improve planning and implementation--nationally, bilaterally, and regionally--for the effective and balanced development of a global workforce. (See more...)

Workshop on China-U.S. Science and Technology Policy Challenges for the Decade
June 24-25, 2002
Beijing, China

Leading U.S. and Chinese science and technology policy experts met in Beijing, China, at the new headquarters of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) to review accomplishments of the U.S.-China Cooperation Program in Science Policy, Research, and Education and to plan program initiatives for the years ahead.

• Summary
• Agenda
• US List
• Chinese List

Leading U.S. and Chinese scientists, engineers, and policy-makers gathered at the Industrial Research Institute in Washington, D.C., to examine technical innovation in the 21st century.  Speakers included The Honorable Phillip Bond, Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology; Xueyong Li, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, People's Republic of China; Lewis Branscomb, Harvard University; and Arden Bement, Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

U.S.-China Forum on Biotechnology and Biomedicine
December 3-5, 2000
Bethesda, Maryland

More than 20 prominent Chinese scientists, engineers, and legal experts joined more than 40 American participants at the Lawton Chiles International House on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to discuss methods of improving Sino-U.S. cooperation and collaboration in the fields of biotechnology and biomedicine.  Speakers included Dr. Rita R. Colwell, Director of the NSF.

First Sino-U.S. Science Policy Seminar: R&D and the Knowledge-Based Society
October 24-27, 1999
Beijing, China

The first in a series of bilateral Sino-U.S. Science Policy Seminars was held in Beijing, China, and focused on the production, dissemination, and application of scientific research.  The Seminar brought together twelve scholars, businessmen, and government officials from the U.S. and China to discuss three broad topics: (1) information and data requirements for science policy, (2) human resources for science and engineering, and (3) the changing character of research and development.  Dr. Thomas Ratchford co-chaired the Seminar with Xu Weixuan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Other China S&T Policy Sites

These links to other China science and technology (S&T) policy sites may be useful to both researchers and casual readers. They represent in all cases institutions or programs that have China S&T policy among their interests. In some cases the links are to sites that cover much more than S&T policy, and it will be necessary to search on the site for publications or references to China S&T policy. The GMU China program solicits suggestions for additional links to this section of the website.

China S&T Policy links

• University of Oregon Program
• Center for Science, Technology & Innovation in China - Levin Institute
• China Environment Forum - Woodrow Wilson Center
• U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission

• Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China
  • Ministry of Science & Technology S&T Newsletters
• The American Embassy in China - Environment, Science, Technology & Health Section
• National Natural Science Foundation of China
• Chinese Academy of Sciences
• China Education and Research Network
• China Association for International Science and Technology Cooperation

• The European Institute of Japanese Studies - The Stockholm School of Economics
• NSF Tokyo - List of Reports on Asian S&T
• NSF Beijing Office

China Programs

• US-Asia Technology Management Center - Stanford University School of Engineering
• Institute for Global Chinese Affairs - University of Maryland
• China-U.S. Relations: Trade, Diplomacy, and Research

Advisory Council

An Advisory Council advises and guides the program.  Dr. Fred Bernthal, President of Universities Research Association chairs the panel.  Other members are drawn from government, universities, industries, and scientific and engineering societies and academies.  The core group of council members comprised the U.S. delegation to the June 2002 Beijing Workshop.  The Advisory Council held its first meeting in November 2002 and meets at regular intervals.  At least some of these council meetings will be held in conjunction with broader consultations with the U.S. science, engineering, and policy communities concerning the initiative’s course and agenda. (See more...)

Further Information

In addition to the material on the web sites referred to above, you may obtain additional information on the initiative by contacting the project director:

Dr. J. Thomas Ratchford
E-mail: jratchfo@gmu.edu
Phone: 704-892-3025 (direct)
Fax: 704-892-4910 (direct)
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 458
Davidson, NC 28036

Dr. William Blanpied
E-mail: wblanpied@gmu.edu
Phone: 703-841-1862
Mailing Address:
1530 N. Key Blvd., Apt. 812
Arlington, VA 22209

Christina Kang
E-mail: cskang@ida.org
Phoe: 202-419-3730 (direct)
Fax: 202-223-1695
Mailing Address:
Science and Technology Policy Institute
1899 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 520
Washington, DC 20006

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